Nature is inspiring and while anything can inspire one, art is the most credited. This is because art has the power to touch souls and to transpire them into a better version of themselves. We have all grown up watching movies and it would not be wrong to say that subconsciously we have borrowed characteristics from the main characters. In such a way, movies have nurtured us, inspired us, motivated us, and most definitely driven us to our paths.
Watching movies today has gotten rather easy with the introduction of streaming services, although it requires you to pay a lot of money for a great internet connection. However, one can still depend on the classic cable TV, that though has gotten expensive yet the amount of entertainment it brings justifies it. Besides, if you are really keen, you should explore Optimum cable packages to find some great TV plans offering a huge channel lineup including all major local and international networks, DVR service, and parental control settings, at the most reasonable prices, that too without any contracts.
Having said that, it is your choice to define the medium of how you want to watch movies. Talking about movies, my favorite kind has always been the ones that sell the idea of underdogs. It is just wholesome to see people rising for themselves and much more than society expected them to. And the ones that make us understand ourselves more, that allow us to take risks for ourselves, that make us believe in ourselves and I will be talking about such movies in this article.
Read along to find out about some of the most inspiring movies of all time, inspiring us to better ourselves.
Into The Wild
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Year of Release: 2007
Director: Sean Penn
Inspired by: Into the Wild by J. Krakauer
Screenplay: Sean Penn
Lead Cast: Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Keener
Emile Hirsch plays the role of Christopher McCandless, who is a great athlete and top student. Instead of giving in to the corporate lifestyle and privilege, he decides to give up all his wealth to charity and sets out into the wilderness to find himself and peace. More than adventure and drama, this movie shows the brilliance of selflessness and self-awareness.
Ratings:
IMDb: 8.1/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
The Pursuit of Happyness
Genre: Drama
Year of Release: 2006
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Screenplay: Steven Conrad
Lead Cast: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta
Life is tough for Chris Gardner, a single parent to Jaden. When they get evicted from their apartment, things get a lot worse but Chris’s determination and will to get ahead of his circumstances make it a lot better. The movie springs a lot of feelings onto us and helps us connect with our pursuit of happiness.
Ratings:
IMDb: 8/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
It’s A Wonderful Life
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Year of Release: 1946
Director: Frank Capra
Inspired by: The Greatest Gift by Philip V. Stern
Screenplay: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Frank Capra
Lead Cast: Frank Capra, Lionel Barrymore, Donna Reed, James Stewart
This is a Christmas movie and spreads all the love we need on Christmas! George Bailey, the main character, cannot take it anymore and thinks of ending his life. The moment he is about to jump off a bridge, he rescues Clarence, his guardian angel. Clarence then shows him the plight of the town if George had not been doing all the good. The movie is heartfelt and urges the audience to be good to themselves, for they are good and have been doing good.
Ratings:
IMDb: 8.6/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Good Will Hunting
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year of Release: 1997
Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenplay: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Lead Cast: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver
Will Hunting is a math genius yet chooses a career as a janitor at one of the best universities, MIT. Professor Lambeau supports him to reach his full potential after discovering his talent. When he gets into trouble, Professor Lambeau gets him help from Sean Maguire, a renowned therapist.
Ratings:
IMDb: 8.3/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
The Shawshank Redemption
Genre: Drama, Crime
Year of Release: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont
Inspired by: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Screenplay: Frank Darabont
Lead Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, William Sadler, Bob Gunton
A successful banker is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover at the Shawshank prison. The way he transpires everything wrong to his advantage is brilliant. The movie fills you up with emotion, hope, and positivity. If you have not watched it yet, you have not entered the better part of your life.
Ratings:
IMDb: 9.3/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
12 Angry Men
Genre: Drama, Legal
Year of Release: 1957
Director: Sidney Lumet
Inspired by: Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose
Screenplay: Reginald Rose
Lead Cast: Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden
This movie is a classic piece of art. If it is up to me, I will make it a part of every course so that everyone can be exposed to the level of mastery it offers. Twelve jurors need to decide on the fate of an accused teenage boy. However, one of the jurors makes all of them see a rather simple case microscopically making it much more complex than it seemed.
Ratings:
IMDb: 9/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
My Brilliant Career
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year of Release: 1979
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Inspired by: My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Screenplay: Eleanor Witcombe
Lead Cast: Judy Davis, Wendy Hughes, Robert Grubb, Sam Neill
‘My Brilliant Career’ came out in 1979, a time when a great number of women were not supposed to dream about having careers; it is a thought-provoking and inspiring movie. Sybylla is an independent woman who is clear about her life choices and wants to make a career as a writer rather than getting married.
Ratings:
IMDb: 7.1/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Hidden Figures
Genre: Drama, History
Year of Release: 2016
Director: Theodore Melfi
Inspired by: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Screenplay: Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder
Lead Cast: Taraji H. Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner
This movie discusses the glass ceiling and the efforts of women in historic events being unrecognized. A movie that we all needed to understand the struggles of women in the corporate world. Three supremely intelligent African-American women, working at NASA, function as the brains behind the revolutionary, historic operation of launching John Glenn, astronaut, into orbit.
Ratings:
IMDb: 7.8/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Dead Poets Society
Genre: Drama, Coming-of-age
Year of Release: 1989
Director: Peter Weir
Screenplay: Tom Schulman
Lead Cast: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles
John Keating, played by Robin Williams, is an enlightened English teacher who encourages his students to come out of the shell designed for them by society. He asks them to reflect, stand up, and live life unapologetically. This movie teaches us to be someone who we respect, to not conform to the pressures of society, and to draw our own paths.
Ratings:
IMDb: 8.1/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 84%